John Engelhardt is another of
the native sons of Clayton county who stands effectively
forward as an able and successful representative of
agricultural and livestock industry in this favored
section of the Hawkeye State, and through his own energy
and well ordered endeavors he has become the owner of one
of the well improved and valuable landed estates of his
native county, the same comprising two hundred and eighty
acres and being situated in sections 23 and 26, Wagner
township, and about three-fourths of a mile distant from
the village of St. Olaf, which is his postoffice address.
Mr. Engelhardt was born in Wagner township, this county,
on the 19th of May, 1876, and is a son of Rudolph and
Mary (Schmidt) Engelhardt, both of whom were born in
Germany. Rudolph Engelhardt was twenty years of age at
the time when he numbered himself among the pioneers of
Clayton county, and here he devoted the remainder of his
life to the great basic industry of agriculture, in
connection with which he gained distinctive independence
and substantial prosperity. He was one of the well known
and highly esteemed citizens of this county at the time
of his death, which occurred on the 9th of August, 1893,
and his widow now maintains her home at Farmersburg, this
county. Of the eleven children George and Louis are
prosperous farmers of Monona township; John, of this
review, was the third in order of birth; Augusta is the
wife of William Jones, of Lime Spring, Howard county;
Emma is the wife of Jefferson Jones, of Gunder, Clayton
county; Martha is the wife of Henry Boler, of Cresco,
Howard county; Amelia is the wife of Frederick G. Wilkie,
of Reid township, Clayton county; Arthur resides at
Bonair, Howard county, and Robert at Farmersburg, Clayton
county; Alma is the wife of Edward Olke, of Lee, South
Dakota; and the eleventh child, a girl, died in infancy.
John Englehardt is indebted to the public schools of
Clayton county for his early educational discipline and
he was a lad of sixteen years at the time of his father's
death. He had in the meanwhile gained his due quota of
experience in connection with the work of the home farm
and after the death of his father he entered the employ
of his oldest brother, as an assistant in the work and
management of the latter's farm. In 1900 he gave patent
evidence of his ambition and self-reliance by purchasing
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Wagner
township, and with increasing prosperity he has made
judicious investment in other valuable land in this
township until he now has a fine domain of two hundred
and eighty acres, improved with good buildings and
devoted to diversified agriculture and the raising of
excellent grades of live stock. Mr. Engelhardt is most
loyal to his native county and has here found ample
opportunity for the achieving of worthy success in
connection with the great fundamental industry under
whose influence he was reared. He is liberal and
progressive in his civic attitude, is aligned as a
staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party
and has been called upon to serve in minor township
offices. He is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World
and both he and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran
church. In 1899 was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Engelhardt to Miss Keka Draves, who likewise was born and
reared in Clayton county, and of their five children two
died in infancy. The surviving children are: Albin, age
9; Harvey, age 7; Philmon, the baby, one year of age. source: History of Clayton
County, Iowa; From The Earliest Historical Times Down to
the Present; by Realto E. Price, Vol. II; pg.
110-111 |